New Hampshire is on the verge of becoming a national leader in cryptocurrency if its legislature follows through on recommendations made by a commission appointed by Governor Chris Sununu. The recommendations would establish a legal framework for blockchain and crypto businesses in the state, providing clarity and certainty to entrepreneurs and regulators while avoiding the onerous and largely pointless special rules federal regulators and members of Congress want to impose on the industry. The proposed rules would also protect consumers, depositors and investors. Blockchain businesses presently exist in something of a legal gray area in the United States. Congress has …

The metaverse and digital reality experiences are barreling toward consumers, whether they are ready or not. However, there are certain places in the world that are more ready to embrace a digital future from a technological standpoint. A new study by Uswitch, an internet and telephone service researcher, looked at a combination of fixed broadband speeds, broadband package prices, the number of blockchain financial start-ups and the price of high technology exports to determine which countries have the capacity to embrace the metaverse. At the top of the list is the Netherlands, with the most hospitable conditions to cater to …

The Malta Financial Services Authority has greenlit the crypto asset index fund from asset manager Iconic Funds for listing on the Malta Stock Exchange. In an Wednesday announcement, Iconic Funds said it expected to list its BITA20 XA Crypto Asset Index Fund on the exchange “in the coming days,” with the fund offering direct exposure to cryptocurrencies. The fund invests most of its capital in the top 20 cryptocurrencies in addition to depositing tokens into certain staking and interest-bearing accounts. According to Iconic, only individuals who qualify—and not the general public—will be eligible to invest in the fund. “While the …

Cryptocurrency exchange Okcoin may soon be opening its doors wider to crypto traders in Malta and the Netherlands following approval from key regulators. In a Thursday announcement, Okcoin said it had secured formal registration from the central bank in the Netherlands and secured "in principle" approval for a virtual financial assets license from the Malta Financial Services Authority. In addition, the exchange has obtained a money transmitter license for the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. The regulatory benchmarks in Europe are part of Okcoin’s plans to partner with local banks and payment providers to minimize regulation risks and make it …

A business unit within Malta’s Chamber of Commerce has struck down allegations that the country failed to uphold proper regulatory oversight of cryptocurrency businesses in its early embrace of the industry in 2017 and 2018. The Virtual Financial Assets Agents Business Unit of the Malta Chamber of Commerce responded to a Sunday report from the Times of Malta alleging that global financial regulators are concerned about money laundering and lax regulatory oversight of crypto businesses within the country. Specifically, sources close to a recent Financial Action Task Force meeting in Paris told the daily newspaper that regulators believe Malta’s fast-tracking …

Malta’s strategy to become a global enclave for digital assets appears to be working, though lax regulatory oversight has raised concerns over money laundering and other financial crime. Roughly $71 billion, or 60 billion euros, worth of cryptocurrencies has passed through Malta since the tiny Mediterranean state first adopted its “blockchain island” strategy in 2017, the Times of Malta reported Sunday. Although Malta has upgraded its crypto-focused regulations in recent years, financial watchdogs say the nation's anti-money laundering regime may have lacked proper protocols. The Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, met in Paris last week to discuss whether Malta …

Crypto.com, a popular platform for buying and selling digital assets, has become the first cryptocurrency company to receive Malta’s Class 3 Virtual Financial Assets License. The license was granted by the Malta Financial Services Authority, or MFSA, paving the way for broader recognition of digital assets throughout the European Union. As a licensed Class 3 VFA Service Provider, Crypto.com is subject to more rigorous governance, compliance and security requirements. Prior to obtaining the VFA license, Crypto.com was operating under a transitory legal framework in Malta. The tiny Mediterranean nation is one of a small number of European Union jurisdictions to …

Malta’s Finance and Employment Minister, Clyde Caruana, has revealed that the nation’s plan to become a “blockchain island” is floundering due to the unwillingness of local banks to work with innovative firms. Speaking to local media outlet Lovin Malta, Caruana noted that few local businesses have been able to secure banking partners, asserting: “Traditional banks have written off blockchain at its early stages.” “The banks must be convinced that this is something that can really happen; unless banks are on board it will be very difficult.” Caruana emphasized the need to invest into building the skills needed locally to support …

Cryptocurrency exchange and debit card provider Crypto.com has scored major regulatory approvals from the Maltese government. According to a Nov. 24 announcement, the Malta Financial Services Authority, or MFSA, has granted in-principle approval to Crypto.com for two financial licenses: a Financial Institution License and a Class 3 Virtual Financial Assets, or VFA, License. Once Crypto.com meets the official conditions, the Financial Institution License will enable Crypto.com to provide payment services and issue electronic money. A Class 3 VFA License allows Crypto.com to offer investment management services, custody and trading to both professional and nonprofessional investors. According to the announcement, Crypto.com …

Thanks to regulatory uncertainty from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and a hodgepodge of state licensing requirements, the development of crypto trading in the U.S. remains stuck in the backwaters of trading reserved for Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board issues. In order to ensure the continued and healthy growth of digital asset markets, it is critical to expand the market share of institutional crypto trading. That’s a better business model for digital asset markets, and it will force U.S. regulators to act quicker. Digital asset markets embracing this will realize that better controls will attract more institutional liquidity, and organizing …

When Malta set out to provide a regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency sector, policymakers and advisers recognized how blockchain, distributed ledger technology and smart contracts, as well as related technologies, imposed new challenges to providing consumer protection and to fitting within existing legal structures. Immutability of data — and subsequently code, or rather smart contracts — is a desirable feature to provide guarantees to users that data (and smart contracts) cannot be tampered with. However, this also poses a critical challenge: Often, it is impossible, or infeasible, to change code once it has been written to such a distributed ledger. …

The Maltese government is continuing to break away from its once-prominent blockchain agenda, as it intends to take a more holistic approach toward digital economy development. In a recent interview with Cointelegraph, Kearon Bruno, chairman of Digital Economy Think Tank, an advisory body tasked with diversifying and consolidating Malta’s economic portfolio, said: “We’re moving away from [being a] blockchain island, and more towards a digital island because we believe more in this holistic vision that includes all aspects and technological components”. According to Bruno, Malta now favors an “overarching vision” for its digital economy strategy. The think tank, which was …